Poirot on Screen

David Suchet as Poirot

Austin Trevor was the first actor to portray Poirot on screen. Alibi, was based on the theatrical production which had debuted on the London stage in 1928. It was an adaptation of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and had been written by Michael Morton. Trevor played the role of Poirot twice; firstly in Black Coffee and later in Lord Edgware Dies. He would later appear in The Alphabet Murders, a less than perfect Christie film which starred Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie herself was extremely nervous about Poirot appearing visually; she thought all her readers would have whatever image that they had in their heads shattered. She had reservations about all those who played him on film. The last actor she saw in the role was Albert Finney who appeared in the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express. According to family reports she was bowled over with admiration for the lavish attention to detail in the film and for Albert Finney’s professionalism. We have it on good authority that she thought him the best actor to have played Poirot.

However, she never saw Peter Ustinov or David Suchet in the role. Peter Ustinov, winner of two academy awards played the role of Poirot six times in his career.  His first appearance was in Death on the Nile (1978), followed by; Evil Under the Sun (1982), Appointment with Death (1988), Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Dead Man’s Folly (1986) and Murder in Three Acts (1986). Thirteen at Dinner was based on Lord Edgware Dies and coincidentally starred David Suchet as Inspector Japp. 

David Suchet is perhaps the actor most famous for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot. He first stepped into the detective's shoes in 1989. Most critics agree that Suchet has given the most faithful portrayal of Poirot. The series remains highly popular and new episodes of Poirot are currently in production.

DVDs of all the Poirot films can be bought here.

Explore

• Characters: Poirot
• Stories: Appointment With Death, Black Coffee, Evil Under the Sun, Lord Edgware Dies, Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd